Glad or Afraid
by The Sacred and Profane
Summary: Reno finds himself wondering just what Tifa means to him. ReTi oneshot for fire mystic.


Glad or Afraid

AN: I own nothing in this story. This is for fire mystic so enjoy! Please R&R.

"_What is it that is happening to me? I cannot tell whether to be glad or be afraid. What is it that is happening to me?"-_Quote from The Last Unicorn

Reno arrived at the cabin with his girlfriend around noon, the winter air crisp and invigorating. Girlfriend...is that what Tifa was to him? Or something more? Or something less? The Turk couldn't figure that out quite yet as he was soon whisked inside by the barmaid.

"So what should we do first?" Tifa asked. Reno scratched his head and looked out at the vast expanse of white stretching to the horizon.

"I don't know..." Tifa's expression lit up a few moments later.

"Let's go sledding!" Before Reno could ask where they would even get a sled, she had rushed further into the cabin, searching through the large closet and pulling out a large plastic sleigh the color of a lime. They didn't need to get bundled up as they were already insulated against the cold; Tifa in a gray winter jacket along with gloves and a scarf while Reno had on a blue jacket and black gloves.

Trudging up the medium sized hill, Tifa sat the sleigh down and got in front. Motioning for Reno to sit behind her, he did as directed and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Now hold on tight, I don't want to look for a new boyfriend on this vacation," Tifa said, chuckling at her joke. And with a push they were off.

The wind whipped by them as they gathered speed and Tifa was alternating between screaming and laughing while Reno just wanted this torture to end. That came sooner than he expected as the sled hit a bump in the white world and catapulted the Turk over the head of his girlfriend. As he was about to hit the ground, he mercifully passed out and as the world faded to black he heard Tifa's frantic shout and then nothing...

_A whip cracked, shaking Reno into consciousness. Opening his eyes, he saw Tifa seated on a chair in front of him._

_"Ah, finally awake are we?" Reno then noticed what Tifa was wearing. Or not wearing in this case. A black leather jacket covered her top but there was nothing covering her bottom half, giving Reno an enticing view of her long legs. At least until she cracked the whip right next to his ear._

_"What are you looking at?" Her voice was different as well, a seductive purr that had undercurrents of something sinister._

_"Nothing..." She smirked at his answer._

_"Damn straight, now since you managed to nod off during our last session you're going to be punished." A dog collar soon appeared in her hands and Reno found himself tied to a metal pole in the backyard, naked except for the collar around his neck._

_"Why are you doing this?" Reno asked, trying to struggle out of the collar._

_"Like I said, you're being punished." Just then the ground rumbled and Tifa smiled widely. "Ah and here comes the rest of your punishment!" As she finished speaking scores of women appeared, each one looking incredibly pissed off. Reno paled._

_These were all of his ex girlfriends._

_"Hello ladies, Reno here has been a bad boy, think you can beat some good back into him?" All of the feminine faces lit up and their eyes gleamed. Reno gulped and they were upon him, slapping, pinching, and biting. Curses and insults were handed out as well. What the hell was going on? But above the beatings, above the slander, and above his own thoughts Reno could see Tifa laughing. Horns grew from her forehead and fangs soon made their presence known._

_"Ohohohohohoho, isn't it wonderful being with me Re?"_

"Re...Re..Reno..."

His eyes opened and he saw Tifa staring down at him with a worried expression on her pretty face.

"Tifa, where am I?"

"You're in the cabin. You've been out for a long time." Reno didn't respond and sat up, his body a little sore but nothing felt broken. Night had fallen while he was passed out and snow was gently falling from the heavens, lingering in the air before touching the earth. When he looked back to Tifa, he noticed her slumped shoulders.

"It wasn't your fault Tifa, I'm just glad you're okay."

"I'm still going to make sure you get better," Tifa replied.

"I suppose that's fair."

"I also noticed that something was bugging you earlier today, do you want to talk about it?" Reno nodded and he scooted over as far as he could, Tifa laying down beside him.

"I don't know what you are to me yet Tifa," Reno said softly. Before she could speak he placed a finger on her lips. "Now I'm not going to break up with you or anything like that, I just don't know what's going to happen in our relationship. And that's making me nervous..." Tifa didn't reply right away, absorbing what he had just said. After a few moments though, she smiled at him.

"It's alright, we can afford to go slow, and you know why?" Reno shook his head. "Because I love you."

"So you're..." Reno started to say but Tifa cut him off with a soft gaze.

"I'm right here where I'm laying Re, I'm not anywhere else."

"Is that so?" Reno whispered. She nodded and he pressed forward, lips meshing with hers. It seemed like an age had passed by the time they pulled apart. Reno sighed heavily.

"Damn, what a day this was, huh?"

"Yeah...so what do you want to do now?"

"I just want to go to sleep." Tifa pressed her forehead against his and kissed him on the cheek once more.

"I'll be right beside you when you wake up," she whispered.

"Sounds perfect..." Reno muttered, eyes closing. The last thing he saw was Tifa's face and the last thing he felt was her heart beating along with his.

For the first time in a long while, Reno felt content. Who knew what the future would hold, for now all Reno could do was trust that Tifa loved him and, as he was discovering, he loved her just as much.


End file.
